designing and implementing effective advisor development programs jayne drake
Post on 29-Dec-2015
215 Views
Preview:
TRANSCRIPT
Designing and
Implementing
Effective Advisor
Development
Programs Jayne Drake
“
Would you tell me please, which way ought I go from here?”
“That depends a good deal on
where you want to get
to,” said the Cat.
“ I don’t much care where—”
said Alice.
“ Then it doesn’t matter which
way you go,” said the Cat.
“So long as I get
SOMEWHERE,” Alice added
as an explanation.
“Oh, you’re sure to do that,”
said the Cat,“ if only you walk long enough.”
Charlie Nutt: the EarlyYears
“Have a nice day”
Built in Assumptions• No advance preparation needed
to advise students• Advising = what courses to take• Only curriculum, rules, and
regulations matter—and where to find them
• Advising = a clerical function best just got through
• Students are all alike• “Just do as I say”
The Challenge and the ProcessI. Broad institutional commitment and administrative support
II. A carefully crafted advisor development program
III. Focused, on-going assessment of the advising program
IV. Recognition and reward for effective advising
I.Broad Institutional
Commitment and
Administrative Support
Starting from Scratch
1. Identify all campus stakeholders Who are critical to its success? Professional advisors? Faculty? Students? President? Provost? Bursar? Registrar? Career Center? Disability Services?
Next2. Gather together the stakeholders to discuss the purpose and goals of the program and how they hope to achieve them.
Craft an advising mission statement (if you don’t have one already) that sets the 3. foundation and guides the efforts that follow.
(Take the time you need to get this right.)
Next
Next4. If you are looking for funding, prepare a proposal that includes:A clear statement of the issues
Why is this program important to the institution?
What does it hope to accomplish?
How does it intend to achieve its goals?
How will it assess the outcomes?
And. . . .
Who is responsible for developing and sustaining the project?
If the project is long term, provide a timeline
If the project requires monetary resources, create a budget
Develop assessment plans for the project
About that mission statementIt is the backbone of everything
that you want to accomplish. “Promote student success”
“Academic excellence”
“Set academic, career and personal goals”
NACADA’s Clearinghouse of Academic Advising Resources
II.Carefully Crafted
Advisor Development
Program
1.Designate someone to be in charge
Job Description:Respected Leadership Perseverance and tenacityGutsPerspiration / inspirationSensitivity to audiences Sense of humor
2. Determine the audienceNew advisors?Well-seasoned advisors?Faculty advisors?Special populations advisors?Everyone at the same time?
Goals address the purpose of the program. Why are we developing this training and development program?
Outcomes are what we expect advisors to learn as a result of participating in the program.
3. Determine Goals and Outcomes
4. What do they need to know?
Generally, topics can be broken down into three areas:
Informational
Relational Conceptual
Informational: the substanceWhat advisors and students should KNOW
Curriculum and degree requirements
Institutional policies and procedures
Campus resources (and how to guide students to them)
Too often advising conversations stop
here
What advisors should DO that takes them beyond simply providing information“Competencies” include:
Relationship building
Communication and questioning skills
Mentoring skills
Relational: the developmental
For exampleProviding an open, welcoming
atmosphere
Getting to know the students by asking open-ended questions
Being a good listener
Expressing genuine interest in students and their uniqueness
AndRespecting their opinions
Showing concern for their academic, personal, and professional growth
Helping them to explore their own needs, interests, and values, and helping them get there
Exploring careers
Conceptual: the foundationWhat advisors should UNDERSTAND
The definition of advising
Student development theories
Learning theories and advising approaches
The connection between advising and student success
For exampleThe importance of being
available physically and mentally for students
Acknowledging that one size does not fit all—being sensitive to various learning styles and the cue students communicate
understanding the institution’s advising model and structure,
New Advisor Program
Experienced Advisor Program
Conceptualunderstand the university’s mission for academic advising.
comprehend career counseling theory and its relationship to academic advising.
Relational understand student expectations in the advising relationship.
demonstrate effective conflict resolution skills.
Informationalunderstand the course repeat policy for the university.
know how to direct students to scholarship opportunities
Outcomes Example—Advisors will:
Advising handbook
Course catalog
Access to the institution’s data information system
Available advising session notes (held in paper files or electronically)
Advising syllabus
5. Tools of the Advising Trade
Today at 1:00 p.m.
Topical Session #4Constructing an
Academic Advising Handbook
6. Possible Program Delivery Methods
Annual or semi-annual workshop or retreat
Series of workshops or brown bags throughout the academic year
On demand, on-line training
An advising newsletter
AndPanel discussions
Guest speakers
regional or national NACADA events
Case studies/advising scenarios(Scenes for Learning and Reflection)
7. Off to Market – Create the Buzz
A Pause to Recap—A person is in charge
Stakeholders are on board
Mission statement done
Audience determined and content established
Goals and outcomes have been identified
Professional development needs determined
Delivery methods worked out
The right tools for the job are lined up
Thursday at 10:30 a.m.
Topical Session #13Focusing the Lens: Crafting Successful Advisor Training and
Development Programs
III.Focused, OngoingAssessment of theAdvising Program
Institutions must be accountable for the
advising services they provide
How do you know if your training and development program is working well (or needs tweaking), or is meeting its intended goals?**
Accountability—who is watching you?
** Collective conversations = collective understanding
Interpret evidence
Gather evidence Evaluate data and Design report Assessment
Identify Make Objectives decisions
Let’s just say. . . . Learning objectives—begin by asking
What do we want advisors to know?
What do we want them to be able to do?
What do we want them to value or appreciate as a result of the training and development program?
If advisors are expected to demonstrate a knowledge set, skills, and values related to academic advising, how do we state a learning objective and deliver the opportunity?E.g., as a result of the program, advisors will be expected to. . . .
If done right and well. . . .
Assessment ultimately improves student and advisor satisfaction with academic advising -- and --
Assessment ultimately provides a strong advising raison d’etre in an era of increased accountability and squeezed budgets.
Tomorrow at 9:00 a.m.Foundation Session #4
Assessment of Academic Advising: An Overview
Thursday at 9:00 a.m.Workshop #3
Assessment of Academic Advising
IV.Recognition
and Rewards forEffective Advising
Commitment
What value does your unit/department/campus/institution place on quality academic advising?Does it acknowledge advisors and their roles in contributing to student success?
Tangible and intangible rewards are part of a clear, coherent strategy within the mission of an organization.
For the professional Development program in particular:
Acknowledge Completion of Programo Present framed certificateo Send letter to participant and
to supervisoro Administration participation
and visibilityo Other?
Other options?This is not a rhetorical question.
Develop the R&R PlanThe questions are:
Whom do you want to recognize/reward?
Why do you want to recognize/reward them?
How are they to be recognized/ rewarded?
How are the candidates to be nominated?
What criteria will be used to determine the awardees?
Who will evaluate the nominee packets?
What exactly will be the recognition/ reward?
At what venue, if any, will the awardee(s) by recognized?
The 10-step program 1. Committee and leader named
2. Needs identified
3. Goals and Outcomes determined
4. Develop content
5. Decide method of delivery
6. Assessment
7. Market the program
8. Evaluate the program’s effectiveness
9. Reward and recognition
10. Revise and start again
Good advising does not just
happen.
Thursday at 1:00 p.m.
Foundation Session #5Initiating Change:
Leading from Your Position
Effective Development Programs
• Allow advisors, new and veteran, to develop and deepen their knowledge
• Provide motivation to progress from first-year ‘survival’ to long-term goals
• Contribute to student success
Don’t just take my word for it. NACADA Resources
Thank youAnd my special thanks to
Jennifer JoslinCasey Self
Marsha Miller
For their words and inspiration
top related